Supports 'needed' to help families dealing with drug deaths

The research was conducted by a team of academics from the School of Applied Psychology at UCC.

The most recent figures for Ireland (from 2017) recorded 786 drug-related deaths in that year. There were 383 deaths from suicide in 2017.

The study said Ireland had twice the average recorded drug-death rate in Europe.

It said drug-related deaths (DRDs) were deaths due to the intake of drugs, or a result of violence, suicide, or infectious disease.

The research, which conducted interviews with 17 people, from seven families, said the deaths follow years of trauma.

“The period of active addiction before death was tumultuous for families,” it said. 

Years of uncertainty, stigma, and hopelessness permeated throughout the family system and left heavy emotional scarring as they lived in constant fear for the safety of their loved one, and sometimes for themselves.” 

It said following the death, this fear “alleviated” as the unpredictability surrounding the location of loved ones, issues with police and threats began to fade.

It said families were often trapped in cycles of shame and guilt and struggled “to understand and accept the complexities of their own emotions” after the death.

One father only allowed himself to begin healing after a “prolonged period of self-blame” for his son’s death.

“Nine years on, he eventually came to understand that his son’s behaviour was beyond his direct control,” the report said.

The father told researchers: “Personally, I think that my son had an insight into where his life was going, and he didn’t want to bring that to us. So, we lost him to the street, there’s no two ways about that.” 

'Double loss'

The study said some families suffer a “double loss” — the loss of their loved one to addiction and, consequently, an exacerbated grief following their death.

It said some families found help in their faith or, if not religious, got comfort their loved one was at peace.

It said many family members benefited from attending support groups, where they could “unburden” their emotions, hear similar experiences, and focus on self-compassion and personal health. 

Some even engaged in activism and others took up new activities.

The research identified significant gaps in supports for families affected.

“Specific services in Ireland support suicide bereavement, but there are currently no extensive formal networks that specifically address DRD bereavement,” it said.

There is a need for targeted supports to help those bereaved by DRDs, not only in the immediate aftermath of the death but as an ongoing support structure to facilitate adjustment.

It said these services should screen people to ascertain psychological and other needs of grieving members, help support the internal bonds within families and try and provide coping strategies.

The research, published in Death Studies, was conducted by Daniel O’Callaghan, Sharon Lambert, Nora Conway and Nollaig Frost.